I'm Home

Farewell to Texas - leaving with Elders Jensen and Browning, Sisters Holmes and
Regis, and good-bye to the wonderful President and Sister Trayner

On the plane from McAllen to Dallas with Elder Jensen, Sister Holmes, and Elder Browning

Waiting at the Airport. How long does it take to get off the plane?

How sneaky!! Going through the other terminal to sneak in the back way behind us - SURPRISE!

So glad to finally have Kate home!!!

Happy!! Happy!! Happy!!

Thank heavens Elder Jensen and Sister Holmes were there all the way!

Pues...This Is It

April 22, 2013

Well, I guess that is what people refer to as a missionary’s last email. I am not entirely sure what they mean because I plan on being a missionary for the rest of my life AND I assume I will write emails (not sure if the world still writes email), so this is not the end.

We had a great week that ended with two baptisms. As I was sitting in both baptisms, I couldn't help but reflect on the amazingness that missions are and how they truly help you learn and grow. You push yourself so you can become the person Christ needs you to become. One of my favorite mottos that I have adopted on my mission is that God doesn't give us trials based on what we can handle. God changes us to be able to handle the trials he already wants to give us. Change hurts, but that is just how we learn and grow. Imagine if we couldn't learn and grow. LIFE WOULD BE SO BORING!

Second motto I have lived by on my mission: Be so happy that when others look at you, they become happy too. I actually found this at Hobby Lobby and succumbed to buying it. :) I couldn't NOT do it. Anyways, the gospel makes us happy, right? In 1 Nephi 8:10-12, Lehi talks about eating the fruit and how it made him so happy, he just wanted to share it with everyone. News Flash! THAT IS ALL THAT MISSIONARY WORK IS! It is sharing the things that bring you the most happiness. We aren't trying to convert people for numbers or to get a trophy; we share this message with people because it makes us happy. If people can understand that we visit them for the sole purpose of their happiness, they are going to listen. Like Sister Trayner always tells us, "The people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." We have the way to eternal life people! WE GOTS TA SHARE IT!

Knowing me and my excellent ability to MASTER chapter 8, I am actually, basically almost done packing. It is actually fun because it is a missionary's closest opportunity to play Tetris on a mission. Not only do you have to try to make everything fit but you also have to make sure it doesn't weigh over 50 pounds. We had fun weighing stuff this morning because, depending on where the scale was, my weight fluctuated 15 pounds! Then we had fun moving the scale to different parts of the apartment to see how much we weighed in each room. It was like the exhibit at the Clark Planetarium where you find out your weight on different planets, except it was how much you weigh in the different rooms of the apartment. Gotta love the things that make missionaries happy!

We are heading out to the island again today to play on the beach for zone activity. Gotta love Frisbee on the beach! Sister Sturgis is hooking me up with some awesome boxes to ship my books home, so they should be getting there via box. Speaking of, did my bike make it home? I hope you are pleased with how much that cost me! If you weren't so insistent on me having my bike, I probably just would have donated it to a local child or something. HAHA! But don't you fret, I will get some great use out of it. I love my bike. She's worked hard!

I reached a very cool milestone this week. At the beginning of my mission, I set a goal of how many people I wanted to baptize. Numbers aren't important, but without a goal, the people perish. Anyways, I reached my goal this weekend and it was one of the most fulfilling feelings of my life. God has blessed me so much! When it looked like I would miss it by one person, he transferred me into an area that would help me to gain my last baptism. God is good. Seriously. He has such an amazing plan for us. I get so excited when transfers come around because I love trying to use my logic powers to guess where everyone is going. I feel like I will be the same way up in heaven, jumping so I can see over God's shoulder saying, "hey, hey, where's this person going? Send them here!" I can just imagine Him saying, Sister Giles, watch this. Then He would do something CRAZY that I never would have thought of and everything turns out better than I would have ever guessed. Hey, that sounds a lot like life! ;)

I have come to realize over the past year and a half of my life, that the analogy of the waffle and the spaghetti and how men and women think is kind of inaccurate. Or maybe it's just different for missionaries because in my brain right now, I am spaghetti inside a waffle box. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, I will explain. The short version is that women think like spaghetti where they are just in everything and everything is intertwined and men think in waffle boxes, one at a time. I say that I am spaghetti in a waffle box because I am thinking about everything intertwined and crazy spaghetti, but yet, I am still in my mission box. People keep asking me when I am checking out and if I have died yet, but I honestly don't understand how people can. I understand I am coming home in a matter of hours, but my brain doesn't really comprehend that, so I have been acting exactly the same and it's weird to people. Ah well. If you can't tell, I am just rambling my inner thoughts. Crazy missionary.

Tonight we have dinner with am awesome member family named the Banks. They have instantly become our friends and we love them! Then we are going to have an FHE with a member family and their neighbor; then we're visiting their other neighbor. That means we are going to be WORKING until the very last moment. I am still trying to figure out how I can work in Mission East until we have to go to dinner at the Trayners. I have like 3 hours between my interview and dinner so I don't see why not! I'm still working on logistics.

Family. Friends. Stalkers. I love you all so much and I am so grateful for the support that you have given me for the past year and a half of my life. I can honestly say that it has been the hardest and best year and a half of my life. I have learned so much and grown exponentially. I have learned how to love. I have learned the basics of the gospel. I've learned another language for cryin' out loud! I know that this gospel is true because I have received a spiritual confirmation from God. I have had some of the happiest moments of my life this past year and a half, and I can't wait to see what is next. It had better live up to my mission though or I'm coming back!

TMMer for Life!

Sister Giles

Speaking of Fresh Air

April 15, 2013

We are doing emails a little bit later today because we spent the morning at the aquarium where we got to see all sorts of crazy stuff because a YSA that works there took us so she got us into all the cool behind the scenes things! Then afterwards we decided to go get a bite to eat and I realized how much I have been spoiled with seafood and will probably miss fresh seafood at my fingertips. We went to this great little pier that is right next to the Lexington and the aquarium and the bridge and downtown and as I was just sitting there I said to the other missionaries, you know what, WE ARE SO BLESSED! It is true! I love everything about my mission and about my area and about my friends and about just everything! I think I have just been reflecting lately and I just love everything about being here!

We had a fun experience to be in a wedding this weekend! We have Sandra who is getting baptized on Saturday so she and her husband got married last Saturday. Super cool! She then passed her interview on Sunday so she is ready to go! I am excited that she is making this change in her life and then they are going to work towards getting to the temple! So cool!

Marie is coming up to Corpus next Tuesday to pick me up and take me back down to McAllen for me to leave. I am so happy I get to see her and little Aiden! They are so special! We're going to get some lunch then she'll drop me off! It's like I've gone back to Guru's in October, waiting to go to the MTC, except this time just sucks haha! No, I am excited. It is definitely harder to leave here than it was to come.

Over the course of my mission, I have really learned a lot and I can't wait to learn even more! I am feeling a little light headed right now trying to think and talk about how awesome my mission is! I don't think it will really hit me until I am actually home, which is actually great because it helps me just work work work! We have awesome members, awesome ward, awesome area, awesome apartment; basically awesome everything! And we're so blessed to live so close to the elders because they help us out ALL THE TIME! Like anytime we need anything, we just call them. They are helping me ship my bike today. They are awesome. Well, they also have the truck so they kind of have to help me. :)

I can't believe it is snowing there! It just started getting warm down here which is like high 80s so I don't know how going back home will work out. Good thing we will be coming right back because my body will need to thaw out.

Well. The work is going. We are getting another group of 8 sisters when I leave which will make every companionship of sisters except for like 2 or 3 a training companionship. And I am going to be made a great-grandmother this transfer, along with a grandmother 2 more times. Sister Ramos and Ramirez will be training and Sister Huskinson, Sister Vandyke’s baby, will be training as well. I think Sister V is coming up to Corpus to replace me which would be SICK! I think we'll have to come and visit her wherever she is when we come down. Just sayin'

So...I'm struggling with this email. I just have so many things in my head that I don't really know how to approach it because this is NOT my last email, but I feel slightly like it is. Weird. asodig aherkjhgsdkfjhvslerhgs;erhgasefg

I think that helped.

Well. I love you all family! You have been the best support a sister missionary could ever ask for! I can't even begin to express the love I feel for every one of the family members and friends that have helped me in the past year and a half. It has meant the world to me! And more than that, it has helped me do the work. Indirectly, every one of you reading this has indirectly been a part of changing the lives of the people I have taught. You have brought people unto God! How great shall be your joy!

I love you all so much and will see you in just a few short days. Weird!

For those of you that really want to know, I am coming home on the 24th and anyone who wants to come and see me at the airport is welcome. Not that I am screaming to the world to come, but everyone should feel like they can if they want to. I have no idea what time though so call my mom and ask her. :) 801 298 3105

Thank All the Stars in Heaven

April 8, 2013

Yes mom, I am grateful for our family! HAHA! It's getting close! Crazy! I was just telling Dad that my brain doesn't completely understand what is going down so I am still working strong! It's great! We have so much work to do so I don't really have time to do anything else. :)

Wasn't General Conference just amazing! WE LOVED IT! We watched it at the church. We probably could have watched it with members, but I really like watching it at the church now because it helps you to focus. Plus, once you get the missionaries together, it is ALWAYS a party. There were only 16 of us though. But we loved every second of conference! Between sessions on Saturday we all went to the mall and grabbed some food and then went up to a park right on the bay and sat on the sea wall. It was really awesome and kind of the first time in a long time we just sat for a second. It was AWESOME! I took loads of pictures! Then we came back and watched another awesome session! Sunday morning session was my favorite! I loved it so much! Then between sessions, some members fed us at the church but we didn't want to miss the world report because we’re all nerdy missionaries so we opened up the back and ate in the gym while watching the huge projection of the world report. We know how to do things right up here in Corpus! Basically, all of conference was amazing and I got A LOT of questions answered! For reals, I wish it was conference every single week! Well, minus the same fact we didn't have the sacrament, it was perfect!

The only thing about conference that was just a bit lame is that both Sister Perez and I have NASTY colds! Like coughing, no sleeping, sore throat nastiness! But, we have AWESOME leaders and members and everyone helps us out! We both got blessings last night from the ZL’S and that has seemed to help a lot! We're getting over it, but we both sound like smokers and every time I sing, it is HYSTERICAL! Sister Estiva, who lives with us, is sick too, AND our district leader, so we're just basically all useless. HAHA! Which should be fun because we're going up to Portland today for 2 elders’ birthdays and to play soccer. 4 sickies and a soccer ball? Fun combo! HAHA!

We are currently working with some AWESOME investigators in our area! They are all so great! We are working on getting someone married right now which is kind of difficult because they want to get married and baptized and all but aren't willing to humble themselves to ask their family for the money to get a marriage license. We're still working with them but they will for sure get baptized! Then we have another awesome joven that is from California that is teaching me how to be cool. It is hysterical because I have realized that I have been raised in a bubble where people speak normal English. But in bigger cities, people talk in crazy talk! I am learning though! Gotta go where they are if we want to bring them to where we are.

Working in the inner-city is GREAT! Basically, our entire area looks like the valley! We have even had a few Spanish lessons which is AWESOME! Our area is what some people would call "the ghetto" but we love it! In fact, other missionaries kind of want our area which is funny. I loved Flour Bluff a lot, but I love Weber too! And because it seemed fit, we have named our car Peter Parker on account of the fact that we are the Weber sisters. Get it? HAHA!

Our apartment is smelling a lot less like boy which is great! They cleaned the carpets this week which was much needed! I actually really love where we live because the Elders are so close and whenever we need anything or they need anything, we can just run over. Like this morning, we needed 3 eggs to make a birthday cake and so they brought them over or like how we let them use our bike pump. It is just awesome being so close!

On Wednesday we had exchanges and Sister Dudding came to work with me! IT WAS AWESOME! We had so much fun working together in Flour Bluff that a one day exchange was just not enough. It was funny though because they put both of our greenies on the island together. Two greenies together during the 12 week program...SUPER FUNNY! They did good though. Sister Perez is on fire. She will do great things on her mission, I can tell ya that. Of course she will! I'm her momma! O and Sister Dudding and I are going to have a comedy show when she gets back. We'll be called mullet because I'm all the business in the front and she is all the party in the back. (No wonder we got so much stuff done!)

The closer I get to coming home, the more I begin to reflect on what my mission has been. What I have accomplished. What I still want to accomplish. How I can apply these things to the rest of my life and I find it hard to even come up with words for all of it. My mission has meant everything to me. I am still the same person as when I left, but at the same time, I am 100% different. My testimony has become unshakable. I have this weird sense of duty now to rescue and save everyone I come in contact with. Even though in a few short weeks I will be getting released as a full time missionary, I have taken the advice we learned this weekend in conference to have my plaque forever in my heart. I will forever be a Texas McAllen Missionary!

Well, I have to get going so we can be on time to Zone Activity. Chapter 8 ALWAYS!

Sister Giles

Time is Getting Short

April 1, 2013

Yes mom, I was surprised to get transferred to Weber as well, but then I remembered that my entire mission has been crazy so I just went with it. :)

Weber is GREAT! I was just telling Dad, Weber is inner city Corpus, meaning that we have some of the more sketchy parts of town. But you know me, I love that kind of stuff. We live in the same complex as the Elders, which has been fun because they help us out a lot. We love 'em. They are coming with us to Arby's today because I FOUND AN ARBY'S! After a year and a half, I guess I have been craving it a little bit. Quien sabe.

I'm trying to think of experiences to share so I am going to make a list.

-Moving into an Elders’ apartment that smells like urine is gross. But we disinfected everything so it should be good. They are coming to clean the carpets tomorrow.

-We talked to a lady who told us that a block away, in our area, a guy killed his grandma and cut her up and buried her in the backyard. Yup, that's my area.

-We have awesome members in our area! We had an Easter egg hunt that was AWESOME on Saturday.

-Last night we had an Easter program that was AMAZING!

-I flipped my calendar to April today. It was weird because now I can see the day I go home. GAG ME NOW.

-My new bishop is from Bountiful. Small world.

-We have set 3 new baptismal dates this week.

-I am super excited for conference! I love listening to the prophets speak directly to us! Seriously! IT’S AMAZING! I have been waiting for this for 6 months! I hope they talk a little bit about the ages change. Man, I feel like we just had conference! TIME FLIES!

-While being chased by dogs on Saturday, I popped my bike tire so I have to fix it today. Lame.

-Elder Marble is making up words right now and we just took like 4 minutes of email time trying to find the Spanish translation of his made up word. This is kind of how much I don't want to email right now.

-I love you all so much, don't get me wrong, I just can't believe I am going home so soon. Like subconsciously I just keep thinking, oh, I can tell them this soon anyways. I think I just want to cherish as much time here as possible, so emailing just went down my list. I really do love you all though I promise.

-Elder Marble said that if we come up to Corpus on the Monday we’re down there, we can see all the missionaries because it will be P-day. Just a short drive from McAllen, we should do it!

-Mom, can you schedule a dentist appt and hair with Stephanie for like the day after I get back? That would be cool.

Well. I love you all so much and I hope to hear back from you soon! Dad, please don't cut your finger anymore.

LOVE YOU!

Kate

Will the Surprises Ever Cease?

March 25, 2013

HAHAHA! Where to begin this week? We'll start with exchanges.

We had exchanges on Wednesday and I went up to Rockport. It was awesome! Up there reminds me more of an East coast fishing town. Super cute! That night we thought about getting a Blizzard because, when is that ever a bad idea, and while we were around Dairy Queen, we decided instead to go to a former’s house in the area. Baptismal date instead of a Blizzard? We'll take it!

We ended the exchange going down to Zone Conference which is always fun. We had to go early because I was in charge of the musical number, which promoted me to junior zone leader. (Super not a real title but the zone leaders love it. haha). Then after the awesome trainings we had, we had to do departing testimonies. Everyone going home before the next zone meeting had to say their testimony. Elder Jensen and I (flying home with me) talked about running away the whole time but to no avail; we had to give our testimonies. Knowing your daughter/friend/sister, you know it had to be interesting. I talked about how I have learned to really love and how much I loved the church, then I proceeded to say that "our mission is so great and united because we are a little bit, what's the word? off-kilter." HAHA! President just looked down and shook his head, stood up, and tried to escort me down. He was just teasing me, and everyone was laughing and I thought, "this WOULD be everyone's last memory of Sister Giles." HA! It was literally hysterical. Then after, Sister Trayner said in her testimony that maybe we’re so united because of how weird we are. Then President gets up and says that no one will ever be able to forget Sister Giles, head of the weirdos. HAHA! I seriously love my mission and everyone here. Only here does that stuff happen. But anywho, I now have members teasing me about it too.

THEN on Friday, we got a call from the Assistants harassing me to make them cookies and I said okay Elders I will do that, but what's really up and they said “Well Sister Giles, ya’ll are doing so great in Flour Bluff, we want you and your companion to go do great in Weber”...................Yup, surprise transfer! But this transfer is different because it only affects our zone and there are 4 areas getting white washed! We set up our area perfectly for the Elders to come in and take it over and the Assistants want us to go into this other area and build it up. It is more of the city, which will be fun. No more Bluff and the ocean. President Trayner told us we are inner city weirdos now. :) Funny stuff. So, on Wednesday, we are moving into Corpus Christi, same complex as the Elders, and working Weber. I am going to make a Spiderman shirt now. But ya, who would have thought that with 4 weeks left in my mission, I would be whitewash training? Do the surprises ever end? I think not! haha! I should just keep expecting the unexpected! My speculation is that they wanted Elders up in Rockport, a sisters’ area, but the sisters couldn't come down here and live with the elders because they have a four person apartment, so they had to move us and the other elders too. Who knows but it will be fun! We are still going to the same church, just at 1 instead of 9 so we will still get to see everyone.

Our people are doing great! BP got called to be the chorister yesterday, JF and NF received the Holy Ghost, JC got the priesthood, and JA passed her baptismal interview. Things are happening in Flour Bluff! I am bummed that we are leaving, but I know there is work for us to do in Weber!

I love you all so much and I hope everyone is having a great week! Keep the work in your prayers!

Sister Giles

Another Awesome Week!!

March 18, 2013

I love that we are all bad at writing longerish emails now. I'm okay with it seeing as there is just SO MUCH GOING ON! I have started writing in my journal again though, (I repented) so I will fill you in on all the details when I get home but this weekend was GREAT! We had a baptism on Saturday who got confirmed with her husband on Sunday. (Craziest story ever!) Then a father and son got baptized on Sunday. It was SO COOL! So our week was pretty productive. We also had investigators at both baptisms! YAY! It is hard though planning two baptisms in a small branch because we try to get different people for everything but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. But everything turned out great! We started a trend of doing a musical number but every time, we fail to choose one until we have to sing; then Sister Dudding and I just pick one and switch between the alto and soprano parts and Sister Perez just backs us up. It’s seriously hysterical.

Last night before the baptism, we ate dinner with the branch president and family, but instead of going to their house, we had a cookout at the beach. Family, you will LOVE them! Seriously, they are the greatest and they are like my second family. Truly. L____ (25, married with a wife that lives in Brazil, complicated) has never liked sister missionaries. Until he met us. Now he loves sisters because we are real and we act like a big family. O man. AND, family, they are taking us surfing. So.....be excited for May!

I love everything about being here. I actually decided that I will never be going home so....have fun when you come down here to visit me! HAHA. but for reals, my mission has been everything to me and I don't want to let any second go by without being the best missionary I can be. It is amazing how the Lord lets us struggle throughout our missions to let us grow. Then in our last transfers, he transfers us to an area that is ON FIRE with all of your best friends, in the best branch with leaders that trust you and know how to work with you to help you reach your potential. I love it! My leaders here are PERFECT for me! They just give me the ball and let me run with it. That analogy is actually very funny because we joke almost every day about dropping the ball. I will have to show it to you after I get back. O man. I'm gonna miss this. In fact, while we’re down here visiting on that Monday, depending on who gets transferred where, they want us to come up to Corpus for P-day so we can do something with them and they can meet y’all. I couldn't say no. :)

So, I wish that I could help y'all understand how awesome it is here. You will get to see such a small part when you come down, but it will be good. The crazy, quirkiness here is great and you will LOVE IT!

Well, I love you all and I hope you have a great day! 

Alma 27:17

That is how I feel. Passed out with joy. Yup.

Sister Giles